Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales Calls for Americans
to Join the Fight Against Child Sexual Exploitation

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today delivered remarks at
the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood conference on Department
efforts to prosecute sex predators and protect children from sexual
exploitation through Project Safe Childhood. He called upon Americans to
report suspicious behavior and signs of abuse, and upon federal and state
prosecutors to aggressively pursue sex predators.
Project Safe Childhood, announced by the Attorney General in February 2006,
creates a coordinated national response to the growing threat posed to
America’s youth by online sexual exploitation. It brings federal, state and
local law enforcement communities together in order to maximize resources and
obtain the strictest penalties available against sex predators under federal
and state law.

As technology advances and as the Internet becomes more accessible, the number
of computer-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes committed against children —
including child pornography offenses and “traveler” or enticement crimes —
continues to grow.

“The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most disturbing
crimes known to humankind,” said Attorney General Gonzales. “Much has been
done to protect and defend them, but more must be done. Through Project Safe
Childhood, the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners are able
to work together to pursue and prosecute sex predators with greater
coordination and determination than ever before.”

In addition to its emphasis on increasing the prosecutions of sex predators,
Project Safe Childhood works to increase public awareness about the presence of
pedophiles on the Internet. Project Safe Childhood has partnered with the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and The Ad Council
on a public education campaign targeted to children and their parents. The
campaign, including print, broadcast and web content, will debut in early
2007.
Project Safe Childhood includes five key components:

*INTEGRATED FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE CHILD
EXPLOITATION CASES:

The U.S. Attorneys have partnered with ICAC Task Forces that exist within their
districts and other federal, state and local law enforcement partners working
in their districts to implement Project Safe Childhood. Working with these
partners, the U.S. Attorneys have developed district-specific strategic plans
to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation crimes;
to identify and rescue victims; and to coordinate local training, educational
and awareness programs.

*MAJOR CASE COORDINATION BY THE CRIMINAL DIVISION:

The Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), in conjunction
with the FBI’s Innocent Images Unit, has integrated the Project Safe Childhood
Task Forces into pursuing local leads generated from CEOS major national
operations.

*INCREASED FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND ENTICEMENT CASES:
Given the beneficial investigative tools and stiffer punishments available
under federal law, U.S. Attorneys and the federal investigative agencies have
increased the number of sexual exploitation investigations and prosecutions.
The goal is to ensure the worst offenders get the maximum amount of jail time
possible.

*TRAINING OF FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT:

Members of the Project Safe Childhood Task Forces have attended training
programs facilitated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC), the ICAC program and other ongoing programs, in order to be taught to
investigate and prosecute computer-facilitated crimes against children, as well
as to pursue leads from national operations and from NCMEC’s CyberTipline and
Child Victim-Identification programs.

*COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS:

Project Safe Childhood has partnered with NCMEC and the ICAC Task Force program
to raise awareness about the threat of online sexual predators and to provide
the tools and information parents and youngsters need in order to report
suspicious activity on the Internet. The public education campaign, featuring
print, broadcast and web content, will debut in the spring of 2007.